loooper.com Who else is recommended? I'm thinking I want to set up a board with bypass loops for all pedals, but also with a master bypass, a gain bypass, delay bypass (I expect to be using 2 or 3 delay pedals) and modulation bypass. I'm trying to figure out the coolest way to get maximum functionality out of a non-midi system, preferably all in front of an amp (I don't mind delay before distortion... it's one of the sounds I dig). I need to find cost effective, logical ways to pull this off. So I need your help, yall!
For simple loops: The Keeley Japanese Apartment is awesome and tiny. I thnk there is a company called Loopmaster that does them too. The Radial/tonebone loop bone thingy will do the job. I have heard nothing but good things about loooper. What your doing sounds complicated though. You will have to have at least one buffer somewhere. If it is all passive, there will be a degradation of tone. Once it gets more complicated than a few pedals on a board of wood, I say go MIDI. That's what the Axess, Skrydstrup, and DMC stuff is for. In a compilcated setup you could fix any impedance issues, grounding issues, level issues, capacitance issues, series/parallel issues....etc. All the inevitable issues are why I like to keep things simple.
DavidLM: I appreciate the info and suggestion, but I have been playing for a long, long time, and I JUST escaped midi. It has some huge benefits, for sure. And Mario from Axess is a great guy with a great business... I have one of his buffers, and almost bought a few other products. But I've gone to a single channel amp. I've changed the way I do everything... over the course of many months now. I'm trying to pare everything down to what helps me make music the way I want it made. I still have channel changer amps and a rack here with W/D/W and I'm keeping my processors (mainly because I don't want to have to buy them again at some point) but what I've decided is that I can get closest to what my ear wants by sculpting the tone from the guitar in, using pedals to make everything as modular as possible. I've got the best tone of my life now, and it doesn't sound like John Petrucci, or Steve Vai, or Adam Jones or any of the people I've always loved listening to. That is the argument for pedals, which is, as far as I'm concerned, the argument against a giant rack with drawers full of pedals and a midi switcher and controller... all expenses I'd rather put into something else. A looper, to me, just gives me the option of trying some more pedals that don't have good buffers or that aren't true bypass, keep them in good shape to pass them on when they are no longer what I'm looking for... and to give me back some of that control I had over tone changes that I did have with midi. I can totally deal with stepping on 2 or 3 buttons to change a sound. But I think I'm going to end up with layers of delay, and different gain pedals, making different channels on my amp (Flexi, BTW... love it.) The decision to get a looper setup is not based on unfamiliarity with what's available or what I might try. It's based on what I want to do with my music. So I guess I've got it thought out, at least that far. CSJ: Sold. And I already figured out a better way to do it than I was thinking before. But don't think I won't bug you for some help at some point.
The tonefactor Mobius is a looper, but can also feedback your signal with a knob. You might want a tuner out option as well. Have heard great things about Dave @ loooper from many folks here as well.
